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Thermoplastic Elastomer

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There is a wide range of materials that comes under the preview of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). These include Thermoplastic rubber(TPR), Thermoplastic vulcanizates(TPV) and TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) Thermoplastic rubbers are a popular choice as an extrusion material. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are fast replacing traditional products like EPDM rubber and PVC and is on mode of expanding their market share. Before we go on at length to discuss about extruded Thermoplastic Elastomer, it is better to understand what exactly is Thermoplastic Elastomers. Thermoplastic Elastomers or TPE as they are called belong to a family of rubber like materials. Contrary to vulcanized rubbers, they can be recycled and processed like thermoplastic materials. They are basically a class of copolymers comprising materials that displays both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties.

Another important term to understand here is the Thermoplastic Vulcanizates or TPV. It also belongs to the family of TPE materials. TPVs are essentially biphasic materials that is composed by a cross linking of plastic phase and a rubbery phase.

Advantages of Thermoplastic Elastomers
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) offers many vital advantages over traditional thermoset (vulcanized) types. Some of which are highlighted here.

Shock absorption
Slip resistance
Ergonomic comfort
Processing ease
Design flexibility
Quality and dimensional consistency of products
Speed
Recyclable scraps
Lower energy costs for processing
Availability of standard, uniform grades (which is missing in case of thermosets).

Manufacturing of Extruded Thermoplastic Elastomer
Thermoplastic Elastomers are easy to extrude and can easily be formed into single and complex profiles. Following are some of the important points to be kept in mind for extruding of Thermoplastic elastomers

Pre-drying of all the material between 3 to 4 hours at temperature of around 80°C .
For reducing viscosity in the extrusion process, increasing RPM is more effective than increasing temperature.
Following strictly the Extruder/Screw Recommendations
Sizing extruder for midrange RPM (ideally 30 to 80 RPM)
Follow strictly the Die Design Recommendations
Care should be taken so that drawdown does not go beyond 15%.
It is best to run the operation with the least melt temperature (ideally it should not exceed 215°C )
Applying uniform regrind ratio (ideally 20% regrind to 80% virgin)
For colouring low-density polyethylene is a good option.

Extruded thermoplastic Rubber Vs Masticated rubber?

Extruded thermoplastic Rubber	Masticated Rubber
In case of extrusion process there is mixing and blending of raw materials together thus resulting in products with a more uniform appearance and increased strength. Another advantage is that the material can be recycled.	Masticated rubber is produced by grinding of tyre rubber, then pouring of the crumbed rubber and subsequent application of pressure and heat for creating a sheet of rubber. This sheet is in a vulcanized form that indicates that there would be no recycling of products

TPE Extruded Profiles
A large number of profiles can be made with Thermoplastic Elastomers. Information about some of the most popular products are given here.

Tubes and Hoses
There are many advantages of switching over to extruded TPE profiles. They offer among other qualities:

Oil resistance
Low temperature flexibility
Excellent kink resistance
Good Heat resistance

Windshield Wiper Seals

Wire and Cable
Some of the advantages include:

Outstanding flexibility
Excellent mechanical strength

Other Applications

Window Glazing
Electrical Boxes and Panels
Lighting Enclosures
Tool Boxes
Door Seals

Application of Thermoplastic Elastomers
TPEs are used in numerous industrial applications. Some of the popular fields include automotive industry, medical, construction, electrical, food and beverage etc.

Thermoplastic Rubber Hose
Extruded Thermoplastic rubber hose offers many advantages over traditional rubber hoses. This includes:

Superior chemical and temperature resistance
Resistance to abrasion for medium duty material handling
Light weight
Heavy wall for industrial application

Do you Know?
The terms in the Thermoplastic elastomers means the following: Thermo means heat Plastic means moldable Elastomer is word meaning rubber. Therefore a Thermoplastic elastomer means a rubber which can be molded when heated.

Buyer's Zone: Choosing the Correct TPE
As a buyer knowing about a material's use in the end-use application is imperative before a material selection process is undertaken. This checklist for TPE application has been designed to help the buyers in taking judicious decisions.

What type of fabrication and assembly processes will be applied?
In case of co-extrusion what would be the substrate material?
In the design cycle, at what stage is the application?
What is cost target for the material that is considered?
What are the temperature requirements?
Would the thermoplastic elastomer be subjected to environmental conditions?
Are there any requirements for physical properties?
Color or appearance?
Conductivity?

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